Toilet ventilating system



March 3, 1964 E. w. sowARDs 3,122,757

TOILET VENTILATING SYSTEM Edward W Savards /6 zNVENToR.

March 3, 1964 E. w. SOWARDS TOILET VENTILATING SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 13, 1959 Fig. 3

Edward W Sowards zNI/ENTOR. @h

BY Am uw HM@ United States Patent C) This invention relates in general to new and useful improvements in ventilators, and more specifically to an improved ventilator for a toilet pressure ilus'n valve.

Numerous attempts have been made to deodorize toilets of the type having pressure flush valves. However, heretotore all of the ventilators have been of an extremely bulky type and therefore not suitable. One of the main problems encountered is providing a suitable vent takeoff which may be connected to the toilet bowl for venting the toilet bowl and at the saine time be in an out-of-thelway position at all times.

it is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide a ventilator tor a toilet bowl which has connected thereto a pressure flush valve, the ventilator including a vent line which is connected to the water supply or ilush pipe extending between the liush valve and the toilet bowl whereby except when the toilet bowl is being flushed, the toilet bowl is vented through the water supply pipe.

Another object or this invention is to provide an improved entiiator for toilet bowls of the type having pressure valves, the ventilator including a vent line extending from the water supply pipe for the toilet bowl and being connected to the sewer pipe for the toilet bowl, the connection being of such a nature that only vented air is passed tcarough the vent line.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fitting which may be mounted intermediate a toilet bowl and a sewer pipe whereby vented air from the toilet bowl may be forced into the sewer pipe.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved ventilator for a toilet bowl of the type having a pressure flush valve, the ventilator including a vent line which is connected to the water supply pipe which extends een the pressure ilush valve and the toilet bowl, the vent line including a `ball check valve which prevents the passage of water through the vent line during a ilushing operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings Lorming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FiGULE l is a side elevational View of a conventional type of pressure flush valve type of toilet and shows connected thereto the ventilator which is the subject of this invention;

FGURE, 2 is a plan View of the toilet of FlGURE l and shows further the arrangement or" components of the ventilator, a portion or the seat of the toilet bowl be g broken Iaway and showing the position of a sealing .ga-siret between the seat and the toilet bowl;

lilC-URE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken tbrou'fh the connection between the vent line of the ventilator and the water supply pipe for the toilet bowl and shows the details of the check valve thereof;

FGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line l4 4 or" FlGURE vl and shows the specitiic details or a vent fitting disposed intermediate the toilet bowl and a sewer pipe for facilitating the entrance of vent gases into the sewer pipe; and

FEGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the sec- ICC tion line 5--5 of FIGURE l and shows the manner in which a support for a pivotally mounted switch actuator is secured to one of the hinge brackets for the toilet seat.

Reerring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that there is illustrated a conventional type of toilet assembly which is referred to in general by the reierence numeral 19. The toilet assembly l@ includes a customary toilet bowl 12 which is seated upon a door i4. Extending upwardly through the floor l@ is a sewer or waste pipe 16 to which the toilet bowl l2 is normally connected. The toilet bowl l2 also carries the conventional seat 1S which is connected to the toilet bowl l2 by means of a hinge assembly 2i?.

The room in which the toilet l@ is mounted also includes a wall 22. A pressurized water line 2d extends from the wall 22 and is connected to a conventional pressure llush valve Ztl. A water supply or iiush pipe 28 eX- tends between the pressure ilush valve Z6 and the toilet bowl 12 for supplying water to the toilet bowl l2 to hush the toilet bowl l2 when the valve 2e is actuated.

The ventilator, which is the subject of this invention, is referred to in general by the reference numeral 3h. The ventilator 3@ includes a special vent fitting 32 which is disposed between the base of the toilet bowl l2 and the sewer pipe 16. The vent fitting il?. includes a member having an annular portion or ring 34 which is of generally U-shaped or a C-shaped cross-section and which has integrally connected thereto a at tube portion Seated on the annular portion 34 is an annular flange 3o or" a tunnel-shaped member 33 which also forms part of the vent fitting 32. The discharge or outlet pipe 2b of the toilet bowl l2 is received in the funnel 33 and forms a seal therewith. Gn the other hand, the annular portion 34 forms a seal with the upper end or" the sewer pipe le. Thus the necessary seal is maintained between the toilet bowl l2 and the sewer pipe i6 and at the same time vented air may be forced down into the sewer pipe lo through the vent iitting 32.

A vent pipe comprising a section is connected to the tube 36. The tube 3e is provided with a bore therethrough and the vent pipe section ft2 is secured to the opposite surfaces of the tube 36 in sealed relation by means of ilanges 44 and lo which have fasteners 48 extending therethrough. ln this manner the member of which the tube 36 is a part may be turned over so that the tube 36 may extend in an opposite direction from that illustrated in FIGURE 2. incidentally, while the tube 36 has been illustrated as overlying the I'ioor lll, in new installations the tube Se may be buried in the floor The vent pipe section 42 has a slip connection S@ with a vent pipe section 52. The ent pipe section 52 is connected to an outlet of a suction fan or blower 5d which has an electric motor 56. Operation of the electric motor 56 is controlled by means of a switch 5%, the operation of which will be described in more detail hereinafter.

Another vent pipe section is connected to the blower 5d in sealed'relation by means ci a flange o2. lt is to be understood that the vent pipe section @il will extend into the blower Sd and will be provided with a check valve to prevent back flow of air.

Still another vent pipe section 64 is connected to the vent pipe section 6? by means or" a slip joint 6:15. The vent pipe section 64 is threadedly connected to an upper portion of a ball check valve which is referred to in gern eral by the reference numeral no.

As is best shown in FIGURE 3, the ball check valve 66 includes a sectional hollow sphere or housing 63 which is formed of an upper half 7i? and a lower half 72. The two half-sections 7S and 72 are clamped together by means of a split ring 7d and are sealed relative to each other by means of a sealing gasket 76. The lower hous- 3 ing half 72 has a pipe section 7S which is secured to and opens into the water supply pipe 2S.

The upper portion of the upper housing half 70 is conigurated to form a valve seat S0. A concaVo-convex foraminous cage or wire retainer 82 is carried by the sealing gasket 76 and is clamped between the sealing gasket 76 and the housing halves 70 and 72. A buoyant ball check valve member 84 is supported by the wire retainer 82 and normally is spaced from the seat 80. However, should water from the pipe 2S enter the check valve66, the ball Valve member 84 will iioat to its dotted line position into engagement with the seat 80 and prevent the passage of water up through the vent pipe section 64.

The hinge assembly 20 includes a pair of mounting brackets 86. Each of the mounting brackets 86 includes a shaft portion, such as the shaft portion 8S illustrated in FiGURE 5. Releasably secured to one of the shaft portions 8S is a support bracket generally referred to by the numeral 90. The support bracket 90 includes an elongated arm 92 which is provided at one end thereof with a clamp assembly 94 which is secured to the shaft 88. Pivotally connected to the opposite end of the arm 92 is a lever 96 which extends between the switch 5S and the toilet seat 1S. The switch 58 is actuated by the lever 96 by the weight of a person seated on the toilet seat i8.

At this time it is pointed out that secured to the underside of the toilet seat 18 is an elongated sealing gasket 93. The sealing gasket 98 is compressible and when a person is seated upon the toilet seat i8, a seal is formed between the toilet seat 18 and the toilet bowl 12 to prevent the escape of undesired gases.

In the operation of the toilet ventilator 30, when a person is seated on the toilet seat 18, the Weight of the person will result in the depression of the toilet seat 18 suiiiciently to pivot the lever 96 and actuate the switch 58. The actuation of the switch S will result in the energization of the electric motor 56 and the operation of the blower 54. The blower 54 will produce a suction within the toilet bowl 12 and draw vent gases back up through the water supply pipe 28, through the check valve 66 and through the vent pipe sections 60 and 64. The gases will then be forced downwardly through the vent pipe sections 42 and 52 into the tube 36 of the vent fitting 32. The gases will be forced out of the vent litting 32 down into the sewer pipe 16. Should the toilet 10 be liushed while the blower 54 is operating, water under pressure in the water supply pipe 28 will, of course, enterthe check valve 66. The water will begin to flood the housing 68 of the check valve 66 with the result that the ball valve member 84 will float up and engage the seat Si? to prevent the liow of water into the vent pipe section 64. As a result, the venting operation will be momentarily discontinued until the flushing operation is over. At that time, the ball valve member 84 will drop to its solid line position of FIGURE 3 and vented air will then be pulled through the check valve 66.

From the foregoing disclosure of the invention, it will be readily apparent that the toilet ventilator 30 may be readily incorporated in either existing installations or in new installations with a minimum of modifications. It is merely necessary to unseat the toilet bowl 12 and to place the vent fitting 32 between the toilet bowl 12 and the sewer pipe 16. Then it is necessary to modify the water supply pipe 23 so as to connect the check valve 66 thereto. The remainder of the toilet ventilator 30 may then be connected to the toilet l0 without modiiication thereto.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described,

and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. A Ventilating system for toilets of the type including a bowl having a iiush pipel connected thereto and a waste pipe communicating therewith, said system comprising a vent pipe connected to the flush and waste pipes, a suction fan interposed in the vent pipe for drawing air thereinto from the bowl through the flush pipe, and a check valve interposed in the vent pipe for preventing the passage of water from the flush pipe, said check valve including a hollow sphere comprising complemental upper and lower half-sections, said upper section having an opening in its upper portion communicating with the vent pipe, said lower section having an opening in its lower portion communicating with the liush pipe, said upper section including a valve seat adjacent the opening therein, a circular, generally concave-convex, foraminous cage mounted horizontally in the sphere, a buoyant ball operable in the cage and engageable with the seat for closing the vent pipe, and means for detachably securing the half-sections together and for securing the cage in position in the sphere.

2. A Ventilating system for toilets of the type including a bowl having a flush pipe connected thereto and a waste pipe communicating therewith, said system comprising a vent pipe connected to the flush and waste pipes, a suction fan interposed in the vent pipe for drawing air thereinto from the bowl through the flush pipe, and a check valve interposed in the vent pipe for preventing the passage of water from the ush pipe, said check valve lincluding a hollow sphere comprising complementa] upper and lower half-sections, said upper section having an opening in its upper portion communicating with the vent pipe, said lower section having an opening in its lower portion communicating with the liush pipe, said upper section including a Valve seat adjacent the opening therein, a circular, generally concavo-convex foraminous cage mounted horizontally in the sphere, a buoyant ball operable in the cage and engageable with the seat lfor closing the vent pipe, and means for detachably securing the halfsections together and for securing the cage in position in the sphere, said cage having its peripheral portion engaged between the half-sections, said means comprising aV split ring encircling the half-sections at the juncture thereof for clamping said half-sections together with the cage therebetween.

3. In combination, a toilet comprising a bowl, a ilush pipe connected to said bofwl anda vertical waste pipe beneath the bowl, said bowl including an outlet pipe extending downwardly into the waste pipe in spaced, concentric relation thereto, `and a ventilator comprising a vent pipe having one end connected to the liush pipe, a suction fan interposed in the vent pipe for drawing air thereinto from the bowl through the flush pipe, and means connecting the other end of the vent pipe to the waste pipe for discharging the air thereinto, said means comprising a fixture between the waste pipe and the bowl, said fixture including a horizontal inwardly opening ring of generally U-shaped cross-section mounted coaxially on the upper end of the waste pipe and communicating therewith, a generally frusto-conical funnel mounted centrally in the ring and seatingly receiving the lower end of the outlet pipe, and a tube communicating Iwith the ring and extending tangentially from the periphery thereof and connected to the vent pipe.

4. In combination, a toilet comprising a bowl, a iush pipe connected to said bowl and a vertical waste pipe beneath the bowl, said bowl includ-ing an outlet pipe extending downwardly into the waste pipe in spaced, concentric relation thereto, and a ventilator comprising a vent pipe Y having one end connected to the flush pipe, a suction fan interposed in the vent pipe for draw-ing air thereinto from the bowl through the flush pipe, and means connecting 5 the other end of the vent pipe to the waste pipe for discharging the air thereinto, said means comprising `a iixture between the waste pipe and tne bowl, said fixture including a horizontal inwardly opening ring of generally U- shaped cross-section mounted coaxially on the upper end of tne waste pipe and communicating therewith, a generally truste-conical funnel mounted centrally in the ring and seatingly receiving the lower end of the outlet pipe, and a tube communicating with the ring and extending tangentially from the periphery thereof and connected to the vent pipe, said funnel including an external supporting flange on its upper end resting on the upper portion of tne ring, said funnel extending downwardly through the lower portion of the ring `and into the waste pipe Iin spaced, concentric relation thereto.

Reference lite in the tile of this patent UNTED STATES PATENTS 1,561,621) Reed July 15, 1924 1,931,052 Baither Gct. 17, 1933 2,449,134 Majauskas Sept. 14, 1948 2,575,985 Boosey Nov. 20, 1951 FOREGN PATENTS 47,166 France NOV. 7, 1936 

1. A VENTILATING SYSTEM FOR TOILETS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A BOWL HAVING A FLUSH PIPE CONNECTED THERETO AND A WASTE PIPE COMMUNICATING THEREWITH, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING A VENT PIPE CONNECTED TO THE FLUSH AND WASTE PIPES, A SUCTION FAN INTERPOSED IN THE VENT PIPE FOR DRAWING AIR THEREINTO FROM THE BOWL THROUGH THE FLUSH PIPE, AND A CHECK VALVE INTERPOSED IN THE VENT PIPE FOR PREVENTING THE PASSAGE OF WATER FROM THE FLUSH PIPE, SAID CHECK VALVE INCLUDING A HOLLOW SPHERE COMPRISING COMPLEMENTAL UPPER AND LOWER HALF-SECTIONS, SAID UPPER SECTION HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS UPPER PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH THE VENT PIPE, SAID LOWER SECTION HAVING AN OPENING IN ITS LOWER PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH THE FLUSH PIPE, SAID UPPER SECTION INCLUDING A VALVE SEAT ADJACENT THE OPENING THEREIN, A CIRCULAR, GENERALLY CONCAVO-CONVEX, FORAMINOUS CAGE MOUNTED HORIZONTALLY IN THE SPHERE, A BUOYANT BALL OPERABLE IN THE CAGE AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE SEAT FOR CLOSING THE VENT PIPE, AND MEANS FOR DETACHABLY SECURING THE HALF-SECTIONS TOGETHER AND FOR SECURING THE CAGE IN POSITION IN THE SPHERE. 